Connect with Us

UPDATE: Spaghetti bridges teach kids new skills

Local middle school students met Friday to compete to build the strongest spaghetti structure at the Abbotsford Art Centre.

Students from each middle school in the district, and students from Barrowtown elementary, participated in the 7th annual Abbotsford school district spaghetti bridge contest.

The contest challenged small teams to construct a bridge made of only spaghetti noodles and glue. To win, the bridge must be stable enough to support a one-kilogram weight for one minute. The lightest structure to hold the weight is declared the winner.

The morning began with students presenting their proposed designs. They then had less than three hours to build their bridge.

After a lunch provided by the Old Spaghetti Factory, students put their structures to the test. Each team watched as the weight was attached to their bridge while a 60-second countdown played.

Patti Tebbutt, district principal of career programs, said the event is fun and teaches students important lessons. The event is sponsored by Skills Canada and encourages young people to think about careers in trade and technology.

"We're trying to do different career development, so kids can explore fields like engineering."

Tebbutt said the teams spend time researching and designing their structure.

"We hope they learn teamwork, problem-solving and other important career skills."

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.